Spring Hill assembly plant may boost GM’s dealers sales in the area… at least they hope!

With the approaching re-opening of General Motors’ assembly plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., the nearby dealerships are hopeful that sales will increase. Later this year, this plant will begin to produce the Chevrolet Equinox. The plant’s spokeswoman, Lee Ann Williams-Maley, said that GM has gotten team leaders and will be looking to hire around 685 workers for the plant.

Of this figure, about 330 are veteran employees returning from other GM plants where they were assigned in 2009 when the Tennessee plant was temporarily stopped. Reuters said that the employees who are returning will keep their current top-tier hourly pay of about $29 while the new hires will get approximately $16.

Located 14 miles from this plant is Walker Chevrolet in Franklin, Tenn. Its general manager, Amy Hutchison, is upbeat about sales going up. In the past, this dealership had helped out its employees that made Saturn vehicles at this plant. Before the plant was closed, Hutchison estimated that about 40% of Walker Chevrolet’s customers were GM employees.

However, buyers have to qualify for the GM discount. Hutchison is hopeful that it will attract customers to once again like the model.

Hutchison is hopeful that GM employees will fulfil their customers on the “back end” of the dealership, purchasing parts and servicing other vehicles. Hutchison said that there will be some area for storage.

He also noted that the brand will offer some competition to Nissan, which has its North American headquarters in Franklin and a plant in Smyrna, situated around 30 miles from Spring Hill. Tom Lucas, which owns the Lucas Chevrolet-Cadillac in Columbia, Tenn., said that the company is glad about the plant’s comeback. Approximately 80% of his sales are to GM employees or other family members. [source: Autonews]